Summary
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in metadata-extractor
When reading a specially crafted JPEG file, metadata-extractor up to 2.16.0 can be made to allocate large amounts of memory that finally leads to an out-of-memory error even for very small inputs. This could be used to mount a denial of service attack against services that use metadata-extractor library.
Impact
The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap. Typical impact: resource exhaustion leading to denial of service.
CVE-2022-24614 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (High). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.18.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-24614? CVE-2022-24614 is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in com.drewnoakes:metadata-extractor (maven), affecting versions < 2.18.0. It is fixed in 2.18.0. The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap.
- How severe is CVE-2022-24614? CVE-2022-24614 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of com.drewnoakes:metadata-extractor are affected by CVE-2022-24614? com.drewnoakes:metadata-extractor (maven) versions < 2.18.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-24614? Yes. CVE-2022-24614 is fixed in 2.18.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-24614 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-24614 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-24614 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-24614? Upgrade
com.drewnoakes:metadata-extractorto 2.18.0 or later.